Keith could not feel Clair's presence but something in him told Keith that Clair was in the room further from the right. It was a place he hardly visited since it was considered a 'woman's chamber'.
But for the sake of his life and his sanity, Keith hurried up and banged the door open. He was seeking out Clair as soon as he could.
There were various ladies inside, all in various states of undress and they looked at Keith with flushed expressions as he made his way in.
"Everyone except Clair, get out right now."
Keith was not even able to control his expression which caused many ladies to flinch in fright. No one wanted to anger the grandmaster more than he already was.
"Grandmaster, you need to calm down. Whatever Clair did, I am sure that-"
"Did you not hear me? Everyone, get out right now."
The girl who was looking at Keith with a gentle expression before looked frightened all of a sudden and made a quick dash. She also gave Clair a sorry look before she left.
Everyone else left as well and soon the room was empty once again. Clair looked uncomfortable before but her expression went blank as soon as they were both all alone.
......
"Now what is it? Did you have to come in here and scare the ladies like this? There will be talking about you all over the town by tomorrow."
Clair looked resigned to her fate as she scolded Keith. She quickly took the centre seat and waited for Keith to speak up. She was used to Keith's sudden bout of nervousness at this point.
And Keith did not disappoint. His scary expression faded away to nervousness as he fell to his knees.
"I think I have an assassin after me. I almost got killed a few times on my way here."
Keith tried to evoke feelings of sympathy from the girl in front of him but he had a feeling it was a futile effort.
Clair looked on in a bored manner as she watched Keith try and convince her that there was a murder after him.
She did feel sorry for the man but she also did not want to frighten him by telling him how many assassins were actually after the 'grandmaster's' head. She had a feeling that the man would faint if he knew the truth.
"I see. So you almost got killed a few times today. Now stop mopping since it looks like you are still alive and well. There is no need to kick up a fuzz, right?"
Clair got rewarded with a yell in her ear. Keith had been disappointed before but now he seemed angry and disappointed. There was a black aura behind his back that made Clair want to take a step back.
The grandmaster had never been this vocal before and a lot of people would faint if they saw Keith's real self.
"This and that are different. How can you say that my life is not precious? What if I end up dead? What would happen to you and your luxurious life?"
That made Clair stop and pause. She had not thought of this before but now it seemed like a concern she should look into.
Clair had not noticed it before but she had a lot of expenses and she did need a new pair of shoes.
"You are right. You are my golden goose and your loss would suck. Alright, I shall take a look into your assassin and-"
Clair had not finished speaking when the door opened to her room. She watched as Keith snapped into his 'grandmaster' mode and his back straightened. His expression also cleared into a blank one.
It was fascinating for her to see Keith jump from a frightened man to this posed and proper man. Even actors were not this professional when they acted in a play.
'Maybe it's because it's Keith's life that is in danger. Do humans get stronger under difficult circumstances?'
Clair was not a human so she was curious about various human emotions. And Keith was someone who was a perfect example for her to study.
"Grandmaster, I brought a gift for you. Oi, hurry up and follow me diligently."
Master Shinzou entered the room with quick steps and a disturbing grin on his face. Anyone who saw him could tell that he was up to no good.
And he was not the only one who entered the room. He had an unknown figure behind him, trailing and entering the room with a flinch. There was a disturbing smell on this new person that told Clair his identity.
But she could tell that Keith had no idea his potential killer had been caught by Master Shinzou.
"Since you are here, can I assume that you took care of my assassin for me, Shinzou?"
Keith asked in a cold voice. He was channelling his inner 'grandmaster' right now and it was scary how efficient he was at pretending like he was in control.
Had Clair not known the inside story, she would gave surely believed that the grandmaster had never changed.
Master Shinzou gave a huge grin as he walked confidently. He pointed toward the kid at his side and delivered a huge blow.
"This is the assassin we caught trying to assassinate the grandmaster. And I am glad to tell you that he had finally seen the errors of his way and decided to dedicate himself to the grandmaster."
Master Shinzou did not notice the way Keith paled at those words. Nor did he notice the small shaking of Keith's hands. He was too happy to announce what he had wanted to to the man.
Keith tried to control his expression but he was unable to show anything but the boredom he usually showed. He wanted to cough out loud but he could not show how uncomfortable he was.
"I-It's true, grandmaster. I have seen the errors of my way and I am here to dedicate myself to your cause. Please accept a failure like me into your ranks."
The assassin sounded desperate as he tried to plead with Keith into being accepted. He seemed to be utterly devoted to Keith already which was a shame.
'Ohh, look at it. Another one who got taken in by the charms of the grandmaster. Not that Keith had any idea what he did.'
It would be not funny to see people begging Keith to accept them since he was the grandmaster but there were still some extreme cases like this sometimes.
Clair could have interfered and put an end to this show, but she decided to sit back and enjoy her position for now. Keith would learn his true power one day. Until then, Clair did not want him to realize what was happening around him. It was fun that way for her.